Department for Transport

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regards to the reported contaminated air incidents on British Airways flight 286 on 25 October 2016 and British Airways flight 422 on 5 August 2019, what medical follow up checks have been conducted on passengers involved; and whether passengers were informed what chemicals they were exposed to during the flight.

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations made by the Air Accident Investigation Branch that all aircraft should have contaminated air warning systems fitted; and what steps they are taking to introduce this technology for UK-registered aircraft.

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure UK airlines provide the training to flying staff that is outlined in Circular 344 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Guidelines on Education, Training and Reporting Practices related to Fume Events.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The UK is rightly proud of its excellent record of aviation safety, which is why concerns about cabin air have been investigated at length over a number of years. The Government takes any suggestions that people have suffered ill health as a result of flying very seriously.It is not clear which AAIB recommendation is referred to. Where the AAIB makes safety recommendations, addressees are legally required to respond within 90 days giving their proposed actions and when they will be carried out, or if no action is to take place the reasons why. Responses are published on the AAIB’s website, along with their assessment of the response.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Postal Services: Magazine Press

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the magazine industry of amending the Postal Services Act 2011 to move to a five-day letter delivery.

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ask Ofcom to conduct a review in accordance with section 34(1) or section 44(1) of the Postal Services Act 2011, before moving to amend the statutory minimum requirements of the universal postal service.

Lord Callanan: The Government has no current plans to change the statutory minimum requirements of the universal postal service, set out in the Postal Services Act 2011, which requires letter deliveries to every UK address, six days a week at standard price.

Hospitality Industry: Small Businesses

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide a breakdown of grant support options for SME hospitality businesses seeking to fund expansion and growth projects.

Lord Callanan: On 20 July, the Business Secretary announced an extension for the Recovery Loan Scheme to help smaller businesses, including hospitality, access loans and other kinds of finance up to £2 million per business group so they can grow and invest. The Start Up Loans Company, part of the Government-owned British Business Bank, provides loans and pre- and post-application support to new entrepreneurs, including a year of free business mentoring for successful applicants. Since the Start Up Loans programme was launched in 2012, over 99,000 loans have been delivered with an aggregate value of more than £9342m (average loan size of £9,369), as of November 2022.

Department of Health and Social Care

Prescription Drugs: Shortages

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address community pharmacists experiencing daily shortages of medicines.

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what support they will provide to community pharmacy teams, if any, who are (1) dealing with an increasing number of medicines shortages, and (2) spending increasing hours sourcing medicines to ensure that patients do not go without.

Lord Markham: Medicine supply problems can occur for various reasons; for example, due to manufacturing difficulties, regulatory problems, problems with the supply of raw materials, sudden demand spikes or from issues which are related to the distribution of the product. The Department has well-established procedures to deal with medicine supply issues and works closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England and others within the supply chain to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when they do arise. One of the tools we use to support pharmacists to manage supply issues are serious shortage protocols (SSPs), a standard procedure used frequently to manage medicine supply issues. They are a safe and effective way to ensure that medicines continue to be available for everyone who needs them, while saving time for patients, pharmacists and prescribers. Issuing a SSP allows pharmacists to legally supply a specified alternative medicine, removing the need for the patient to return to the prescriber which saves time in general practitioners practices and inconvenience for patients.

Prescription Drugs

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to address the reported increase in community pharmacies having to dispense NHS prescriptions at a loss.

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the current medicines price concession system.

Lord Markham: When market prices rise and pharmacies cannot purchase products at or below the Drug Tariff NHS reimbursement price, the Pharmaceutical Service Negotiating Committee (PSNC) can request the Department to reconsider this price. If a new reimbursement price is issued this is known as a concessionary price, which is established using real time data from suppliers to generate prices that are reflective of the overall market. Furthermore, the Department assesses the overall medicine margin, the difference between the reimbursement price and the price the pharmacy was charged by the supplier, through an annual 'medicine margin survey'. This data is used to calculate the average amount of medicines margin retained during the year. All products that receive a concessionary price are looked at in detail in the margin survey. If underpayment has occurred, it will be made good to pharmacy contractors through margin adjustment. As part of the ‘Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 5-year deal: year 4 (2022 to 2023) and year 5 (2023 to 2024)’, which is available in an online-only format, the PSNC and the Department are reviewing the current concessionary price arrangement.

General Practitioners and Nurses

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) nurses, and (2) GPs, there are per head of population in England.

Lord Markham: This information is not held in the format requested. However, as of September 2022, there were 58.5 full time equivalent nurses per 10,000 head of population in England. This includes nurses in Hospital and Community Health Services and general practice settings. This excludes nurses working in social care, the voluntary sector or in the private sector. As of September 2022, there were 6.5 full time equivalent doctors working in general practice per 10,000 head of population in England.

NHS: Drugs

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet the British Society for Rheumatology to discuss its concerns about the safety and performance of homecare medicines services.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the minutes of meetings between NHS England and the National Homecare Medicines Committee at which actions to address safety and performance of homecare medicines services were discussed and agreed.

Lord Markham: The National Clinical Homecare Association is arranging a meeting with the British Society for Rheumatology and the National Homecare Medicines Committee (NHMC), which includes representation from NHS England, to discuss the safety and performance of the Homecare Medicine Delivery Service. The NHMC’s Supplier Engagement sub-group, which is facilitated, managed by and includes representation from NHS England, holds face-to-face meetings with individual providers to discuss ongoing performance. Where Key Performance Indicators or reports from National Health Service hospitals indicate that service levels do not meet the required standard expected, the NHMC undertakes an escalation process. Where this escalation process is in place, the affected homecare provider will provide a summary of the issues, mitigations and expected timescales for recovery to the relevant NHS organisation. If necessary, the Care Quality Commission and the General Pharmaceutical Council are also informed. Whilst NHS England holds records of the NHMC’s face-to-face meetings and those held through the escalation process, we are unable to provide this information as it is commercially sensitive.

Hypothyroidism: Prescriptions

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they intend to have with NHS England concerning the policy of the NHS Devon Integrated Care Board to withdraw funding from the prescribing of Armour Thyroid medicine for the treatment of hypothyroidism.

Lord Markham: There are no current plans to have discussions with NHS England. NHS Devon Integrated Care Board has policies in place to support patients with hypothyroidism and follows national guidance which states that there is no convincing evidence to support routine use of thyroid extracts, armour thyroid, in managing hypothyroidism. The National Institute for Care and Excellence (NICE) recommends that natural thyroid extract should not be offered for the management of primary hypothyroidism as there is not enough evidence that it offers benefits over levothyroxine. Natural thyroid extract does not have a United Kingdom marketing authorisation.

NHS: Training

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Non-Sterile Disposable Glove Use Fundamentals online courses; and what plans they have to make that course a component of NHS staff training.

Lord Markham: No specific assessment has been made. Individual employers are responsible for determining the appropriate mandatory training for staff to meet the required standards for patient care set by regulatory bodies.

School Milk

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number ofchildren under five years old who benefit from the provision of free school milk; and what plans they have to expand that provision.

Lord Markham: Approximately 810,587 children received a portion of milk through the Nursery Milk Scheme every school day during 2021/22. There are no plans to expand the provision.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Korea: BBC World Service

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what were their aims when they provided funding for the BBC World Service to start transmitting to the Korean Peninsula; whether these transmissions have proved successful in meeting those aims; and what has been the annual cost of the Service to both the BBC and the FCDO.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of the BBC Korean Service (1) in real terms, and (2) as a percentage of (a) the BBC World Service budget, and (b) the total BBC annual budget.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they expect BBC World Service transmissions to the Korean Peninsula will continue; if so, whether they expect that there will be a reduction in output; what discussions they or BBC management have had with the staff who run the BBC Korean Service about its future; and whether they will publish the feedback from any such discussions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO strongly values the BBC's role in bringing high quality and impartial news to global audiences, particularly where free speech is limited.As part of BBC plans announced on 29 September, the BBC Korean Service will be moving to Seoul - BBC have stated that changes are being implemented by April 2023, subject to consultation with staff and trade unions. The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from Government, and it is for them to comment on matters relating to staffing and service delivery.The FCDO supports BBC Korean through the World 2020 programme, providing £94.4m annually to fund 12 language services. According to the BBC's Global Audience Measure, BBC Korean reaches an audience of 0.7m weekly - it is extremely difficult to measure audience reach inside North Korea, where access to international media is extremely limited.

China: Foreign Relations

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Prime Minister on 28 November concerning"robust pragmatism" in foreign policy towards our competitors, how “robust pragmatism” will operate in practice in the UK's foreign policy towards China; what steps they will take to implement this approach to the UK's relationship with China; and how they will measure the effectiveness of this policy towards China.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We will continue to implement a comprehensive and coordinated approach to China in support of UK national interests. Alongside allies like the US, Japan, Australia and Canada we will manage sharpening competition and respond in ways that protect our interests and economic security. We will engage in dialogue with China when that can help solve pressing global challenges including economic stability or climate change. It remains the case that we do not publish National Security strategies on China or other issues. The upcoming Integrated Review Refresh will set out our approach to China.

Foreign Relations

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to formlong-lasting partnerships with (1) Latin American, (2) Asian, and (3) African, countries.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to working with partners in Latin America, Asia and Africa, including to foster long-term stability and trade, address drivers of conflict, call out human rights abuses and violations, promote democracy and tackle climate change. In his foreign policy speech on 12 December, the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the UK's commitment to working with developing countries in continents around the world, and to making a sustained effort to revive old friendships and build new ones, reaching beyond long-established alliances. In the last year, the UK has offered guarantees to allow almost £5 billion of extra multilateral finance for the developing world, as well as a reliable source of infrastructure investment through the British Investment Partnerships, through UK Export Finance, and through the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure. We are negotiating and signing free trade deals and Mutual Recognition Agreements, and demonstrating our long-term commitment to the Indo Pacific, including by joining the Trans-Pacific free trade agreement as soon as possible.

Bob Chan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government why they did not expel the diplomats who allegedly assaulted pro-democracy protestor Bob Chan in the Chinese Consulate in Manchester.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Consul General and five other officials have left the UK, and are no longer accredited consular staff in the UK. We have been clear that the Consul General would not be welcome to do a further posting in the UK. He is responsible for the behaviour of his staff. Throughout this process, we have been clear that in the UK, we abide by the rule of law, follow due process and respect the operational independence of our police. Our firm diplomacy and actions have shown the seriousness with which we take these incidents, and have ultimately had an impact.

Home Office

British Nationality: Assessments

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the pass rate for the Life in the UK test for(1) all applicants, and (2) applicants from Hong Kong.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: There is currently no limit on how many times the Life in the UK test may be re-taken.The pass rate for the Life in the UK test for financial quarter 2022-23 is 68.5%. All pass rates for the Life in the UK test are published in Visas and Citizenship data: Q3 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The pass rate for applicants from Hong Kong is not available in a publishable format. The Life in the UK test is important for anyone applying to settle permanently in the UK to ensure they have an understanding of the democratic principles underlying British society and aspects of our culture and traditions. We intend to set out our plans to review the Life in the UK handbook as part of wider nationality reforms in the first half of next year.Visas and Citizenship data: Q3 2022 (xlsx, 58.4KB)

Asylum: Finance

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 24 October (HL2407), what estimate they have made of the number of people with British children who have applied for a change to their asylum status from a status with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) over the last five years.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The requested information is not held as the NRPF policy for Group 2 refugees is not currently operational. From 28 June 2022, individuals with refugee permission to stay (Group 1 refugees) or temporary permission to stay (Group 2 refugees) currently have full access to the labour market as well as recourse to public funds. However, the conditions attached to permission to stay on a protection route may change at a later point.

Short-term Holding Facilities: Manston

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the cost of legal advice received in relation to the management of Manston migrant centre.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The costs of advice cannot be accurately calculated as the majority of advice has been provided by Home Office departmental lawyers as part of their advisory role.

Undocumented Migrants

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Prime Minister's statement on illegal migration on 13 December,whether theywill respond to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' appeal to the UK to uphold its legal obligations.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: I can assure the Honourable Bishop that the statement is under consideration and any response deemed necessary will be made by the Government in due course.

Migrants: Muslims

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherMuslims entering the UK for permanent settlement face the same (1) security, and (2) language, tests, as those of other faiths.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Where an individual is subject to immigration control, the system for applying for permanent settlement to the UK does not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s faith. All individuals applying for permanent settlement are required to undertake standard security checks and are subject to English Language requirements irrespective of their religion.

Visas

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey keep records of how often, following a visa application being authorised, the documents are returned to the applicant to allow for travel in time for the start date for which the visa has been sought; if so, (1) how often the authorised documents are returned within this period, and (2) what proportion of all visa applications this represents; and if they do not maintain such records, whether they will do so.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: This information is not published.TLS Contact and VFS Global operate the network of overseas Visa Application Centres (VACs) on behalf of UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). Customers are notified that their visa decision is ready for collection as soon as the decision is received at the VAC.Decisions on visa applications are made by Home Office officials. The length of time it takes for a decision to be made varies depending on the route in which a customer has applied, however, UKVI aims to process decisions within published service standards. The date the customer puts on the visa application form as the date of travel may be in advance of the published service standard for that route, which may result in the travel date not being met.UKVI encourages all customers to apply in good time ahead of intended travel dates, and customers can also make use of UKVI’s optional priority visa services in certain locations if they need a quicker decision.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Lord Dubs: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme dependent visas have been issued to family members of Afghans resettled in the UK under Pathway 1 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: At 4th November 2022: 22,833 individuals from Afghanistan have been brought to safety in the UK (since the end of June 2021).We have granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) to 6,314 people under ACRS Pathway 1. Whilst I am not able to provide a breakdown of this data for family members, work is underway to assure information relating to all the individuals relocated under the ARAP and ACRS on case working systems. Once this work concludes, further statistics on both schemes - including the number of people resettled under each - will be included in the published Immigration Statistics.

Asylum: Domestic Abuse

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Prime Minister on Illegal Immigration on 13 December (HC Deb cols 885–8), what assessment they have made of the gender impacts of the aspiration that claims for asylum will be processed “in days or weeks, not months or years”, given the difficulties many victims of sexual violence may have in immediately disclosing the full extent of their experiences.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: We are committed to ensuring that all asylum claimants, including those who have suffered sexual violence, feel able to disclose their experiences early in the asylum process, so that decision-makers can consider that evidence and grant protection status where it is needed without undue delay.We appreciate that it may be difficult for claimants to disclose sensitive information and we have gender sensitive processes in place, for example providing gender specific interviewers and interpreters where appropriate. If there is a discrepancy between the information someone provides at different stages in the asylum process, we will clarify this during the asylum interview. We will take account of the explanation the claimant provides alongside any other underlying factors such as gender, feelings of shame and social standing when assessing credibility and deciding whether the claimant qualifies for protection status.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the UK–France joint statement: enhancing co-operation against illegal migration, published on 14 November, when the full details will be published.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: There are no plans to publish further details to the recently announced 2022/23 UK-France joint statement.

Biometric Residence Permits

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals are currently waiting more than 48 hours for delivery of their Biometric Residence Permit.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The waiting times for biometric residence permits (BRP) are dictated by the BRP production and delivery processes.We aim to deliver a BRP within 7 working days of the immigration decision. BRPs are produced at the secure delivery facility (Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA)) within 48 hours of the production request being made and are collected by our secure delivery partner the same day. Our secure delivery partner (FedEx) aims to attempt to deliver the BRPs within 48 hours of receipt of the BRPs. This equates to a minimum of 5 working days from date of production request being made to delivery of the BRP. We have added an additional 2 working days to the timeline advised to applicants to allow us to resolve any production issues.In October, November & December, DVLA produced all BRPs within 48 hours of the production request, with 100% of all cards being produced within 24 hours.In October, November & December FedEx attempted to deliver 99.83% of BRPs within 48 hours.

Asylum: Deportation

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the UK–France joint statement: enhancing co-operation against illegal migration, published on 14 November, how many unsuccessful asylum seekers are expected to be removed from the UK.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The UK-France Joint Statement published on 14 November set out the new Joint Strategic Objectives and Joint Operational plan for both countries to tackle illegal migration. This includes measures to prevent and deter illegal crossing attempts with investment in removal centres in France to support voluntary returns to countries of origin.We do not provide pre-emptive figures for the number of unsuccessful asylum seekers who are expected to be removed from the UK.

Immigration Controls: France

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the UK–France joint statement: enhancing co-operation against illegal migration, published on 14 November, how many border agents or other UK immigration officials will be based in France by the end of 2022; and what role will the National Crime Agency play under the terms of the Joint Statement.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The number of UK officials based in France will vary each day, but will include staff operating across a range of border management, law enforcement, and intelligence functions, as well as immigration functions at the juxtaposed controls. The UK-France Joint Statement published on 14 November set out the new Joint Strategic Objectives and Joint Operational plan for both countries to tackle illegal migration. As part of this arrangement, reciprocal teams of embedded officers will be deployed for the first time in France. UK officers have already begun their operational training and further visits will take place in the next few weeks including UK officers observing French patrols. Specific details of locations and numbers are, of course, operationally sensitive. The NCA continues to play a key role in UK-France operational co-operation through the Joint Intelligence Cell which will be further expanded, as agreed within the Joint Statement on 14 November. The Joint Intelligence Cell has been central in the dismantling of 59 organised criminal groups and supporting over 500 arrests.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Lord Dubs: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people they expect to resettle under Pathway 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme in the first year of this pathway.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: We anticipate receiving referrals from UNHCR for up to 2,000 refugees during the first year of this pathway and this number will be kept under review.The pace of arrivals in any particular period will necessarily depend on some key factors, including the flow of referrals from UNHCR, and the availability of suitable accommodation and support in the UK.

Migrants: Languages

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recognising regional languages in the immigration system, including of protected minority groups.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Language skills are an important part of integration for those coming to work, study or settle in the UK. We keep the language requirements set out in the immigration rules under regular review.

Asylum: Staff

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Prime Minister on Illegal Immigration on 13 December (HC Deb cols 885–8), whether the commitment to double the number of asylum caseworkers will be delivered by (1) an increase in the number of civil servants, or (2) a redeployment of existing civil servants from other areas of work.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: We have doubled the number of Asylum Decision Makers from 614 in 2021/22 to around 1,250 today through a range of recruitment exercises. We continue to recruit using standard Civil Service processes.

Visas: Domestic Abuse

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available for those on a student or visitor visa who become subject to domestic abuse whilst residing in England.

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, (1) toextend the destitution domestic violence concession (DDVC) to six months, and (2) to widen the eligibility to all migrant survivors of domestic abuse.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for this Government. Information on support for victims can be found on the Domestic abuse: how to get help page on GOV.UK, or through Government’s 'Enough' campaign.Those on a student or visitor visa who become subject to domestic abuse whilst residing in England, can also seek support from the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme. The SMV scheme was launched as a 12-month pilot in March 2021, run by Southall Black Sisters and their delivery partners, and supported with £1.5 million of Government funding. It provides support and wraparound services to migrant victims of domestic abuse. This support includes: accommodation, subsistence, legal advice and counselling.Local authorities may also provide basic safety net support to migrant victims if a genuine care need is established that does not arise solely from destitution. Examples can include, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.Evidence from the independent evaluation of the SMV pilot, to be produced in a final report in early 2023, will inform future policy decisions surrounding our support for migrant victims of domestic abuse. Whilst we consider the evaluation findings and the lessons learned for future policy decisions, we will provide £1.4 million in 2022-23 to continue to fund support for all migrant victims of domestic abuse.Domestic abuse: how to get help (pdf, 2437.6KB)

Public Spaces Protection Orders: Enforcement

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 8 December (HL3749),how, if at all, they regulate the enforcement of penalties for the breach of public space protection orders by contractors appointed by local authorities.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The regulation of the enforcement of penalties for breaches of public space protection orders by contractors that have been appointed is a matter for the local authorities concerned.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Baroness Humphreys: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to reimburse the Welsh government and local authorities for the costs associated with temporarily housing asylum seekers.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered. The Home Office accommodates and provides support to supported asylum seekers in contingency accommodation whilst we consider their asylum claim and we do not provide funding to either the Welsh government or local authorities with regard to this cohort of asylum seekers. Our accommodation providers have a robust delivery model in place to ensure hotel accommodation is managed well to minimise impact on the local community. The Full Dispersal model, announced on 13 April 2022 is supported by £21million of un-ringfenced grant funding to make sure eligible local authorities can provide wraparound support locally. Local authorities will also receive £3,500 for each new dispersal accommodation bed space in the 22/23 financial year.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

BBC Mid-Term Review

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government who is thechair of the Mid-Term Review of the BBC, announced by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 26 May; and what are the names of the departmental officials who comprise the review body.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: As set out in the Terms of Reference published on 26 May, the BBC Mid-Term Review is being conducted by officials from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The officials are based in the Media and Creative Industries Directorate, led by Robert Specterman-Green as Director, which is part of the Digital & Media Group led by Susannah Storey as Director-General. Officials working on the Mid-Term Review report to the Secretary of State.Further information on the officials working on the Mid-Term Review is not disclosable. Disclosing personal information such as employee names would, amongst other things, contravene one of the data protection principles in schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act and also the principles outlined in our Department’s privacy notice.BBC Mid-Term Review: Terms of Reference (pdf, 169.4KB)